From The Heart
by Clouds Of Time
Summary: CavalierShipping - prologue to chapter 5 written ages ago. After having been dating online for a while Dawn and Gary finally get to see each other. But will an unlucky incident with Manaphy effect their relationship; and what about this necklace?
1. Prologue

**(¯'·.Prologue.·'¯)**

A comfortable heat emitted from the radiator in the room. All that could be heard was Dawn's sweet breathing as she rested her head gently on the soft pillow. Everything was so peaceful – perfect. A soft light spilled into the room through the window. It settled on the girl's lightly coloured face, illuminating it. Her eyes fluttered open and a bright smile flashed on her face. She climbed out of her bed and stretched. The fluffy baby blue pyjamas kept her warm in cool early spring morning. She slumped onto her cream computer chair and spun around to face her computer screen. It took her a few minutes to boot up the system and access her e-mail. She had one new message from her internet boyfriend; Gary Oak. It had come in last night. She clicked it once and the message came up.

_Hey Dawn,_

_Gramps and I are coming to Sinnoh to investigate Lake Verity with his old friend, Professor Rowan and his son, Lucas. Dunno if you know them, or that rumour about the Legendary Pokémon Mesprit living at the lake. So we're staying with Professor Rowan and Lucas in Sandgem Town but you said you live in Twinleaf, right? Well according to Gramps it's really close to Lake Verity. Well it's not like him to get stuff wrong so I'll finally get to see you in person. We should be in Sandgem Town by 8:30am tomorrow._

_Talk to you soon – I hope,_

_Love Gary x_

Her heart fluttered slightly as her eyes read over the message. After just e-mailing him she'd actually be able to meet him in person. She always thought he was really handsome in his photos, but it was said that photo's never grasped a person's full attractiveness. If that was the case then Gary would be even better looking then how he looked in the picture. A wide smile shone on her face as she glanced at the clock; 7:04am. Her fingers quickly stabbed the buttons to type a reply.

_Gary!_

_Twinleaf is like right next to Lake Verity. And I know Lucas kinda, I talk to him now and then when he comes to study the Lake with Professor Rowan. It'll be great, I'll actually be able to see the real you. I seriously can't wait, you've gotten me all psyched up. Thanks a lot, now the next hour and a half is going to go by so slow! Pay a visit to Twinleaf and look me up, you know my address right? 17 Cherry Blossom._

_Can't wait till I see you,_

_Lots of Love Dawn_

_[ x . X . x . X . x ]_

She pressed the send button and closed the tab to reveal a screen saver of the spiky haired brunette. She gazed dreamily at the picture before hopping up and bounding into her en suite bathroom. She took a nice warm shower to kill time and appear presentable. She didn't want him to go off her; she only ever sent him her best pictures of herself. She wrapped a towel tightly around her and raided through her wardrobe. In the end she settled for her short pink skirt, white vest and black tank top over it. She then pulled on black knee high socks and pink boots which reached just below her knee. She then gazed blankly in the mirror, wondering what to do with her hair. She grabbed a hairbrush and dryer and attacked it with the two devices. When it was fully dry she straight the midnight blue locks poker straight and fixed her bangs into two yellow clips. She then tightened her white bandana with a pink Pokéball symbol on it around her head and smiled in satisfaction.

She glanced at the pink and white PokéTch she had fastened around her wrist; 8:12am. She jumped towards the computer to check if she Gary had replied. She brought up the tab but didn't have any messages. She sighed feeling disappointed and exited her room. She stumbled down the stairs and regained her balance as she clumsily fell into the kitchen. She spread her arms to balance herself as she smiled up at her mother, Johanna.

"Decency and decorum." her mother said gesturing towards the tiny skirt.

Dawn flushed slightly and she turned towards the cupboard where the cereal was kept. She pulled out a box of Cornflakes and poured it into a bowl. She took the milk which was on the table from when her mother had made her coffee and poured it after the cereal. She then settled herself onto a seat next to Johanna and began eating.

"Guess what Mum!" Dawn chirped excitedly as she swallowed a mouthful of her cereal. Johanna looked up from her newspaper with a raised eyebrow. "Guess!"

"Um, Piplup evolved?" she said, with a small smile.

Dawn shook her head. "Guess again!"

"I don't know." Johanna said, bored with the game already.

Dawn rolled her eyes at her mother's lack of enthusiasm. "Gary's coming to Sinnoh! He's staying in Sandgem and is going to be looking for Mesprit in Lake Verity!"

Johanna nearly choked on her coffee. Dawn awaited the lecture she was now going to get about how internet boyfriends were so dangerous. "Dawn," she began, "you know absolutely nothing about this boy whatsoever. He could be some 50 year old man just taking advantage of an idiotic 13 year old girl who would willingly believe anything."

"Mum, I know what he looks like! I've seen him in pictures!" Dawn exclaimed in defence of herself.

Her mother just shook her head. "Well I suppose you invited him over?" Dawn nodded her head, wondering why her mother had asked. "Good, because I want to see him first. I don't want you in danger, sweetie. You could be raped."

"Okay Mum. You can meet him and see that I know what I'm doing!" Dawn snapped and finished her breakfast. She rushed out the kitchen and into her room before her mother could annoy her further.

She looked at her PokéTch; 8:32am. That must mean he's in Sandgem by now. She smiled brightly and hurried into her en suite and brushed her teeth. When she finished she dropped onto the soft swivel chair. She brought up her e-mail and there was a new one from Gary.

_Hey Dawn,_

_That's great! We just arrived at Sandgem, nice place. Gramps said we're going to head off to the Lake in a few minutes and because I'm so excited to see you I can head straight to Twinleaf. Expect me anytime soon, okay._

_See you soon,_

_Love Gary x_

She didn't bother to reply as he'd be seeing her in a while. They had probably already set off from Sandgem. She rested her head in her palms and gazed dreamily at the message – over and over. She eventually broke her gaze from the screen and jumped down the stairs, back to where her mother was reading the paper. She looked over at her daughter and couldn't help but smile as she shook with excitement.

"Okay honey, calm down. I'm guessing he'll be here anytime soon, yes?"

Dawn nodded happily. "You're getting better at guessing Mum." she giggled.

There was suddenly the ding-dong of the bell. Johanna slipped straight off her seat and towards the door before Dawn could even process the fact the bell had rung. She opened the door to reveal a young boy, about Dawn's age with long spiky brunette hair. He had a black shirt and purple trousers and was smiling in an enthusiastic manner. He looked surprised when he saw the older woman answer the door.

"I suppose you want Dawn." she said, trying to hide her smile. She had to admit, he was handsome, but she'll never agree with meeting people over the internet. It was just so dangerous, but this time at least it appeared okay.

He nodded. "Yes ma'am."

The woman turned to shout Dawn but she appeared in half a second by the door. The two took in each others appearance the same thoughts running through both their minds.

"Have fun deary!" Johanna chimed and closed the door behind Dawn with a satisfied smirk.

"Dawn." Gary said, unable to hold back a smile any longer.

A blush spread across Dawn's face and she diverted her gaze towards her feet, feeling unbelievably nervous all of a sudden. "Gary." she giggled.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys :) Super sloooooooooooooooow updates xD Sorry! I'm evil like that :] It may seems boring so far but it's gonna get better :D And from now on I will have a reason for slow updates. (After Chapter Six.) I am going to attempt the impossible; Re-write My Immortal. Anyone who doesn't know why this is bad, you're blessed with naivety. Don't read it. You have been warning :P! Enjoy ~_

**

* * *

**

**(¯'·.Chapter1.·'¯)**

A pleasant breeze blew through Dawn's poker straight midnight blue hair. She smiled warmly towards her feet, wondering what to say to the brunette who was seemed much better looking in person then in the pictures she had been sent.

"So, wanna head to Lake Verity then." Dawn asked with a sweet smile.

Gary smirked. "Sure." He then turned around and looked down the street at the stretch of houses, feeling lost. Of course being a _guy_ he'd never admit it.

Dawn giggled at his typical male ways. She gripped his hand and skipped down the street with him stumbling after her.

"You should just say if you feel lost." she said when he eventually quickened his pace so he was by her side.

His cheeks tinged red. "I was not lost…I-I just don't know the right way." he said rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Difference?" she asked slyly, watching him with fascination from the corner of her eye. She couldn't get over how different he seemed in person – good difference.

After a few moments of silence he finally came up with an answer. "Eh, well if I was lost I wouldn't know where I was. But I did, 17, um, Cherry Blossom. I just didn't know the right directions towards the lake."

"Okay, okay." Dawn sighed, feeling outsmarted which, for once, didn't bother her.

Relief swept over the brunette and a visible smile appeared.

"So, what's it like in Pallet Town?" she asked, letting her skip fade to a steady walk which Gary, thankfully slowed to accommodate the change of pace.

He shrugged. "It's kinda like here. Really quiet; not much goes on with the exception of the noise my neighbour enjoys making."

A broad smirk highlighted his face and Dawn's cerulean eyes stared at the side of his face. "Who's your neighbour?" she asked in interest.

"Only the loudest and most stubborn person _ever_, Ash Ketchum. Or as I like to call him, Ashy-boy." he said, smirking at his last comment. He chuckled as memories of his best friend flooded through his mind.

Dawn smiled and looked ahead. "Is he a Pokémon Trainer?" she asked, gazing dreamily up at the sky towards a fluffy white cloud.

"Yeah, claims he's going to be the best. I still remember when we both started off as rivals." He sighed nostalgically.

"Didn't you say you were a researcher though?" Dawn questioned shuffling closer to him as they walked. She felt so warm to be near him, even in the early spring cold. Well it never got necessarily cold in Sinnoh, but you adapt to it when you've lived there all your life.

"Oh, I was a trainer for a while, but then I decided to follow in Gramps' footsteps and become a researcher. I'm still a part-time trainer though, I just don't collect badges." the brunette explained as they exited Dawn's estate. "So, didn't you say you wanted to be a co-ordinator."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! But I've never gotten the chance to travel. I do have a Piplup though, Professor Rowan gave it to me for helping him." she said, glancing down at the metallic orb which hung on the strap of her PokéTch.

"Well why don't you start? I'm sure Gramps will eventually send me off to another one of the lakes in Sinnoh to study so you can come along and start entering in contests." he suggested as the lake began coming into view between the trees.

Dawn suddenly wrapped her hands around the brunette's neck in a tight hug. "That would be great." she sighed happily, snuggling her face into his chest because of their height difference.

An evident blush formed across his cheeks as he hugged her back. He closed his eyes and breathed in the soft strawberry aroma that seemed to emit from her hair. She eventually detached herself from around his neck and smiled brightly, although a tinge of pink spread across her face.

"C'mon, let's go." Gary said taking her hand and dragging her towards the lake.

Dawn gazed at it, longing to just jump straight it. It would probably be ice cold though, and she most certainly didn't fancy swimming in cold water. She hated the cold, thus she preferred Summer over Winter any day. She absolutely detested snow, it just clung to her and made her cold.

"Hello Gary and, ah, you must be Dawn."

Dawn's gaze flickered from the lake towards an elderly looking man with roughly cut grey hair. The skin around his eyes creased as he smiled brightly. Such a warm feeling was produced from the friendly gesture. She couldn't help but smile, even if she didn't want to. She was generally a happy person so acting in an unfriendly manner wouldn't feel right for her.

"Hello, err…" she trailed, suddenly realising she had absolutely no idea whatsoever of whom this man was.

"Professor Oak." he finished for her, holding out his hand.

She nodded and shook it, recognising this as Gary's Grandfather.

"So Gramps, how's it going?" Gary asked after they had done their little greeting.

The older man turned his attention to his Grandson. "There's definitely something there, but it could just be an exceedingly powerful Pokémon, not necessarily Mesprit."

"It's the Pokémon of emotions, right? Couldn't you reach it by a strong emotional connection towards it?" the brunette asked. They both seemed to be talking in a completely different language to Dawn. She hadn't really heard much about the Pokémon, except that if you touch it you lose all emotions three days later.

"To do that we'd need someone to have somewhat of a connection to it, which we don't have." Professor Oak said, glancing towards the motionless lake.

"What about making a connection with it?" Gary suggested.

The older Professor seemed to contemplate it for a moment and rushed off around a large rock which was situated behind him. Dawn blinked as he left but soon was forced to follow by Gary. At the other side of the rock was another familiar professor with white hair and a moustache, then a young looking boy with an strange hat which constantly irritated Dawn at the pure sight of it.

The two older Professor's were discussing together whilst the boy who was known as Lucas was bent over a laptop.

"So serious." Dawn muttered, more to herself then anything.

She was surprised when Gary chuckled beside her. "I generally work with fossilised Pokémon, so this is kinda knew to me actually." He rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his brunette hair with his palm.

"Dawn! Gary!" they both looked up towards the owner of the voice; Professor Oak. He was grinning widely as they approached him. "Would you two like to go for a swim?"

Dawn blinked, wondering if it was a general offer or a question to help their research. She glanced at Gary who appeared unsure as he looked at the lake warily.

"Bit cold, don't you think?" he said glancing towards its crystalline surface.

Professor Rowan suddenly produced two wetsuits. One of them was most likely Lucas', but it would most likely fit Dawn considering she was the same size, if not taller then the pale-skinned boy.

Gary still appeared unsure. He glanced at the midnight blue-haired girl at her side who was positively glowing at the chance for a swim and not be overly cold. He seemed somewhat more relaxed at her response to the question and nodded.

"Okay…Dawn I think you should, eh…" he trailed off although she knew exactly what he meant.

"Oh yeah, I'll just head home and change." she said with a warm smile. She turned and skipped off back towards Twinleaf Town, which didn't take an overly long time considering she half-skipped half-ran the whole way. She ran into the house, startling her mother and almost having Glameow who had finally emerged from its sleeping basket pounce on her in alarm.

"Hey honey, what's wrong?" Johanna asked, watching her suspiciously.

Dawn looked at her mother, forgetting about her presence for the moment. "Oh, I'm going for a swim in Lake Verity." she replied.

Her mother glared at her in alarm. "You'll die of cold! It'll be freezing." the woman said.

Dawn shook her head. "Nope, Professor Rowan has some wetsuits." she said with a smile and skipped up the stairs leaving her mother confused. She had no idea that Gary was the son of Professor Oak, let alone that they were working at Lake Verity to conduct research on the legendary Mesprit.

When Dawn reached her bedroom she discarded her bandana and clips to one side. She pulled her hair into a ponytail so it would be out of her face, then began searching for her bikini. If anything she certainly wasn't self-conscious about her body. The bikini eventually emerged form her mass of clothes; it was black with fluorescent pink stripes across it in a zebra pattern.

She smiled and put it on quickly into it. She then dressed herself again in her skirt and shirts so she wasn't walking back to the lake in next to nothing. She kept her PokéTch on – considering it was waterproof it wouldn't be a problem. She then skipped down the stairs and out the door saying a quick bye to her mother.

She did her half-skip half-run technique on the way back towards the lake, making the journey all together half the time it took herself and Gary to just walk there. When she arrived Gary was already dressed in the tight wetsuit. Her cheeks began to heat up as she saw him and tried to divert her gaze elsewhere.

"That was quick." Professor Oak commented handing her the wetsuit which was the exact same as Gary's except being slightly smaller.

She smiled, then suddenly wondered how she was going to undress herself in front of her boyfriend, friend, and two old professors. She resorted into muttering she was going to put it on and scurried behind a rock. She heard Gary mutter a damn followed by a sharp ouch.

Dawn couldn't help but giggled as she piled her skirt, shirts and boots into a pile before pulling on the wetsuit. It was like putting on a giant elastic band. She knew it had to be tight so no water would get through to her skin – that's how they kept you warm. When she had finally gotten it on she reached for the long string that attached to the zipper behind and pulled it up until it tightened around her neck. She smiled in satisfaction, although she felt ridiculous.

She emerged from behind the rock, forced to walk in an uncomfortable manner due to its tightness. She smiled as enthusiastically as possible, suddenly having second thoughts.

"How are we going to breath down there?" she asked. Just as she finished her sentence an air mask was pushed into her hands. She stared blankly at the device having no idea how to put it on. It ended up Gary having to fix it on her and the result was she was in an unbelievable fit of giggles considering he just barely knew how to attach it himself.

The two walked over to the lake edge and Dawn looked at the undisturbed surface, feeling guilty that it would have to shatter in a few moments. "How do we get in when we're in these stupid suits?" she asked through the air mask, plucking at the rough fabric which clung to her skin.

"Like this." Gary fixed her to the side then suddenly gave her a sharp push so she went sideways into the water.

"Gary!" she shrieked. She heard him laughing as she struck the surface, although the impact wasn't actually painful like she expected. A few moments later a crash was followed by several tiny bubbles. She looked through them and found Gary swim out from the wall of bubbles.

"I'm going to kill you!" she yelled, kicking her legs ferociously towards him. He caught on that she was after him and dove deeper under the water. She followed behind him, finding it rather hard although she was a good swimmer.

Even with the oxygen pumping into her lungs through the mask, it began getting harder to breath as she reached deeper into the lake. She didn't even know it went this deep. Shadows cast in the waters making it more difficult to see past her goggles. She began loosing sight of the brunette ahead of her as the once clear waters were now going an eerie indigo colour. She began feeling scared and grabbed the Pokéball on her wrist.

"Piplup, spotlight!" she choked, pushing the white button in the centre. The small penguin popped out and gazed in alarm at its trainer. "C'mon, let's go." she said pointing towards the bottom of the lake.

The penguin understood completely as Dawn tightened a grip around the tiny Pokémon and sped into the depths. Her breath was now coming out in harsh gasps and she felt slightly dizzy as Gary came back into sight. In a few moments they were by his side and he looked at her in surprise. He appeared to also be having some trouble in breathing and his face paled slightly from the minimal amount of oxygen he took.

He looked at Piplup briefly, then back towards the bottom of the lake which was coming into view. In less then a minute they were both floating above the dark bottom where a fine sand lay. Sharp jagged rocks stuck out of the rough powder in random places. A large rock jutted out a little further off. It was so big it was actually visible in the surface sticking high out of the clear waters.

Gary swam towards it with Dawn following, having now returned Piplup. Her breaths came in sharp rasps and she coughed occasionally when her lungs hadn't a sufficient amount of air. A large cave was set at the base of the rock which seemed to lead up inside it. This caught Gary's attention as he beckoned Dawn to follow him. The two swam inside the mysterious cave and upwards towards where the surface should be.

They didn't even cover a quarter of the distance they had covered on the way down when their soaking heads resurfaced from the dark waters. Dawn instantly removed her mask and began gasping like a Goldeen, refilling her lungs with the usual amount of air they had. Her heart was racing and her head felt heavy; as if water had become lodged onto it. She glanced over at Gary who was similarly panting as he regained his breath. After her head had begun to lighten and her heart had paced itself she looked around the strange cavern.

"Where are we?" she asked as she began moving her hands in a circular motion and kicking her legs to reach a small piece of land jutting from the walls of the rock. She lifted herself onto it and sat there as she waited for Gary to join her.

The wetsuit's seams were now rubbing off of her. She felt sure there were many rashes on her shoulders, thighs, and possible her neck. The brunette did join her but instead of sitting down he stood up and surveyed the semi-darkness that surrounded them.

He pulled out a Pokéball which the dim outline could be made out of and threw it in the air. "Magmortar, we need a light."

The large fire Pokémon burst into the damp cave, the surroundings being visible for a moment from the light that emitted from the metallic sphere. It lifted its arm which had what appeared to be some form of bazooka. A large flame appeared on the gun, illuminating all of the surroundings.

Gary smirked in satisfaction, but it soon faded when the flame glowed a purple hue and suddenly went out. He blinked in confusion, as did Dawn when they were suddenly engulfed in the almost darkness. The only light was the small amount that reflected from the bottom of the lake bed.

"Eh…try again." he said as the flame was relit. Dawn took the moment to look around while Gary gazed intently at the flame which once again, went out after it changed to a purple shade.

The midnight blue-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise at what she saw in the brief light. A small Pokémon was perched overhead on a small rock ledge that jutted out from the walls. Its main body was blue and two blue tails curved around it, a small leaf shape at the end. Most of its face was pink with the exception with the area around its eyes which were glowing purple and the pink jewel attached to its forehead. On the side of its head were what seemed to be pink dreadlocks. She gazed at it until the light went out and they were swallowed up in darkness once more.

"Gary…I think this is a Pokémon's doing." she said. He looked at her in confusion, although the illustration on his face remained unseen in the darkness.

His look of question was soon answered when Magmortar suddenly crashed against the wall, the whole room lighting up as a small ball of psychic power materialized from this air. Before the brunette could even open his mouth, the last attack was followed by a swift array of golden stars which smashed against the fire type and causing a light explosion. Even in the darkness it was blatant that the fire Pokémon had fainted.

Gary returned it and gazed up in the direction that the stars had come from. He made out the outline of the Pokémon Dawn had seen and it hastily retreated from vision as it hid behind the rock making a soft cry. He blinked in recognition of the noise.

"Mesprit?" he murmured. Dawn stared at him as if he was mad, then suddenly recognised the Pokémon she had seen as a perfect replica to the ones she had seen in the legends stories.

She blinked and glanced up towards the rock. Almost instantly a collection of gold stars similar to the last flew towards her. She gasped, clenching her eyes shut and raising her arms to protect her from the impact. She was suddenly pushed against out the way and landed on the ground, feeling another body on top of her.

"Whoa." she murmured, rubbing her head and recognising the outline of Gary's brunette spikes.

"You have to go; now." he said, pulling her to a stand and towards the lake. He pulled the oxygen mask on her mouth and forcing her into the lake.

"What about you?" she asked, her voice echoing hollowly in the mask.

He pulled the Pokéball off her wrist and released Piplup. "I'm coming. Piplup, get Dawn ou-" he was cut off as Dawn was forced under the water and Gary was fired towards the opposite wall by another psychic ball of energy.

"Gary!" she screeched as she plunged beneath the surface and engulfed in a flurry of tiny bubbles. She wasn't given the chance to resurface as she was instantly pulled away by her tiny penguin Pokémon.

"…Gary…"


End file.
